Patterning mechanism



MHRCh 4, I J. E LYNAM .ET AL PATTERNING MECHANISM.

Filed July 21, 1945 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 gang Ma, Inventor; M Mac twm March 4, 1947. E L N M TAL 2,416,933

PATTERNING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21, 1945' Sha y-Q Attorney Patented Mar. 4, 1947 Gideon lVicCarthy Whitv/ick, England, assignors to William Cotton Limited, Loughborough,

England" Application July 21, 1945, Serial Not season: In Great Britain -March 14, 1945:

2 Claims.

The invention further includes patterning mech-v anism comprising a member movable by fluid pressure, a patterning device, and valve means responsive to the dictates of the patterning device for controlling the application of fluid pressure to the said member.

The patterning mechanism is preferably hydraulic, although it may be pneumatic.

These and other features of the invention et out in the appended claims/are incorporated in the mechanism which will now be described as an example suitable for controlling operations in a knitting machine and for like purposes, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the mechanism, incorporating a diagram of the fluid supply connections.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the mechanism.

The mechanism comprises a power cylinder block I formed with at least one cylinder 2, (and preferably with a plurality of such cylinders as will be appreciated fromFig. 2) each containing an actuating member in the form of a piston 3 on a piston rod 4 which protrudes from both ends of the cylinder 2 through suitable glands 5, one end of each piston rod being connected by means 6 to the machine part (such for example as a cam truck) required to be moved in a manner predetermined by the lay-out of a patterning device I. A port 8 or 9, communicates between the cylinder 2, at each side of a piston 3, with valve mechanism l which operates in response to the dictates of said device I to open either port, selectively, to fluid pressure and the other to exhaust so as to project or retract the end of the iston rod 4 and to move the said machine part by fluid pressure. The valve mechanism 10 consists of a valve cylinder II, preferably in the cylinder block I Or in a valve chest secured to it, with which the said ports 8, 9 communicate at axially spaced locations, an inlet to and at least one exhaust out let from the valve cylinder, and a piston-valve I 2 slidable in the cylinder I l.

Conveniently, there is" a central inlet [3 and an exhaustoutlet Ma, Mb at either, side of. it, and the piston valve l2: comprises three spaced pistons I 5a,, [519,150 on a common piston rod. [5

(i. e. being-formed with two waisted portionsdefining three spaced lands) and is movable between a positionin which one exhaust outlet Ma or .Mb

is covered by an end piston or land-15w or |-5 c-,. the inlet l3 communicatesw-ith one of the cylinder ports 8 or 9 by way of the waisted portion or space between said end piston l5a or I50 and the centre piston or land 15b, and the other cylinder port 9 or 8 communicates with the other exhaust outlet Mb or Ma by way of the other waisted portion or space between the centre piston I51) and the other end piston or land l5c or 45a, and an alternative position in which the first mentioned port 8 0r 9 communicates with the first mentioned exhaust outlet Ma or Mb by way of the first space, the other exhaust outlet lb or Ma is covered by the other end piston l5c, or 1511, and the second port 9'or 8 communicates with the inlet 43 by way of the second mentioned space. In Fig. 1 the piston valve l2 of the valve mechanism ID of a representative cylinder 2 is shown as having just moved to the right hand one of its two alternative positions in which exhaust Ma is covered by land I5a, cylinder port 8 is open to inlet t3 and cylinder port 9 is open to exhaust Mb, so that fluid pressure has just been applied to the left hand side of power piston 3 and the latter is about to move to the right.

The rod I 5 of each piston valve I2 is connected to a bell-crank-lever or other feeler l6 which is biassed by a spring I! into engagement with a cyclic patterning device 1 which is racked through its cycle to present a row of studs or other projections 18 set out thereon in the order required by the pattern that is to be produced, so that according to the presence or absence of a stud the piston valve i2 is moved to one or other of its two alternative positions. The outlets may be provided with adjustable needle valves. 7

There may be as many power cylinders, valve mechanisms and feelers as required, the patterning device I having the requisite number of rows of studs or the requisite number of separate devices 1 being provided. Such cyclic patterning devices are Well known, and by way of ex ample it has been elected to illustrate in a conventional manner one consisting of an endless flexible member such as a chain passing over a sprocket, drum, or the like l9 racked by mechanism indicated generally at 20 in Fig. 2.

Preferably an the power cylinders 2 and valve cylinders II are formed in one block I, in which case there may be one inlet pipe and two exhaust pipes common to all the valve cylinders. The exhaust pipes drain into a sump 2| and the inlet pipe is supplied from the sump with hydraulic fluid under pressure by a pump 22 provided with a relief valve 23. An adjustable needle valve 24 is advantageously provided for throttling each exhaust outlet Ida, Mb. 24, Fig. 2, indicates a suitable frame member of a knit which the mechanism is ting machine on mounted.

We claim:

1. Patterning mechanism, comprising a plu rality of actuators of the piston-and-cylinder type movable individually by fluid pressure, valve mechanism for controlling the distribution of fluid-pressure thereto and including a movable 20 vice having a pattern track for each valve memvalve ,foreach actuator, a cyclic patterning deber which track comprises a sequence of patterning elements set out to produce a predetermined sequence of movements of the associated valve,

25 by step'through its cycle, and, for each track and actuator, means for racking said device step and the associated valve, a feeler movable by the pattern elements of said track to efiect corre' sponding movement of said valve.

2. Patterning mechanism, comprising a cylinder-and-valve block formed with a plurality of' cylinders each containing a piston, a plurality of valve chambers one for, each cylinder and each containing a valve plunger and flow pas,-

sages leading to and from opposite endsof the cylinders and controllable by said plungers to a control the fluid flow to and from said opposite ends and to determine the piston movement therein; plurality of pattern tracks one for'each valve plunger, and feelers for moving the valve plung ers in accordance With the dictates of the tracks. 7

JOHN EDWARD LYNAM. PATRICK ,GIDEON MCCARTHY.

REFERENCES CITED a cyclic patterning device'having a Richter June 19,1934 

